Individual betterment for the betterment of a Nation

 (One way of increasing hard Currency)

 

As everybody knows, Information is blood these days. Because of the very importance of information, the Internet has grown from a group of computers owned by one group to a big networking of small, mid size to complex networks owned by everybody. The sheer flow of information has enabled the world’s economy to grow by leaps and bounds the last couple of decades, specially the last 20 years.

 

I have been hearing that there are a number of professionals from Ethiopia who are not using their professional knowledge and get a comparable return in United States. Some say, this is because of the absence of information, others say, people have grown up not to dream big, think about the unimaginable.

 

Well I think I have some information to a certain group out there fulfilling the following criteria.

 

Have you ever dreamt to work for Microsoft? Have you ever dreamt to share the same elevator with Bill Gates? Well if your answer is yes, then you only need to have some qualifications to achieve your goal. It is as simple as that.

 

  1. If you have a degree in Computer Science, Electrical engineering, Computer Engineering, then you have almost fulfilled most of the criteria’s.

 

  1. If you have a degree in Mathematics, Applied Science, Other Engineering Disciplines and have a passion in computers and programming. You still can join Microsoft. But you need to read or learn some foundational computer science courses to pass the interview, and to be successful in what you do. There are many friends of mine with degree in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry working for Microsoft as Software Engineers. I personally and my Ethiopian friends at Microsoft will be happy to give you guidance on what to do to achieve your goals.

 

  1. You need to have a Permit to work in the United States.

 

  1. Your degree does not have to be from US. If it is, better. If it is not, and you still have your degree from Ethiopia, it is acceptable, especially if it is from Addis Ababa University. For example, I have got my H1B visa (work visa) with the degree I earned from Addis Ababa University. Microsoft will also process my Green Card with my educational background from Addis Ababa University. Most people have a wrong idea about the quality of education back home, but one of the comments that I saw in my H1B petition was, my educational background and all the courses I took far exceed the requirements for an equivalent 4 year university degree in USA. I started working for Microsoft before I was done with my Masters. I hope this will be an encouragement for most people to start building confidence of their own and use the knowledge earned so far and use it to a better return, incase you are not doing so.

 

 

I am writing this article with the belief that there are people from my homeland who want to work for a better company, want to have a professional job that suits their educational background.

 

I believe that encouraging individuals, providing positive information that changes some ones life style, especially to those related to us in anyways is our responsibility. I am doing this from a perspective that the betterment of these individuals will finally be betterment to the nation we left behind. To the very least, I believe, the betterment of the financial status of my compatriots will indirectly bring a betterment of the family that they support back home which will finally is another way of tapping foreign currency to the poor people we left behind.

 

So finally, if you are reading this and have a passion to Work for Microsoft (which is hiring a number of Software Engineers at all levels everyday) and fulfill the basic criteria, you can contact me with my personal email (Haileyesus@gmail.com) and I will guide you to join Microsoft by linking you with some of the recruiters that I know of. I will expect genuine emails from passionate individuals. If the email traffic is high, I will forward your request to my other fellow Ethiopians to help you in any ways they can. I am busy most of the time, but I am trying to help with whatever time is left of me, so expect delays to your email requests of any sort.

 

There are about 50 Ethiopians working at Microsoft at this time. Hopefully some of you will be joining us before the millennium increasing the number higher. Can we take this as one of our millennium goals?

 

Haileyesus Aregay

Feb 13, 2007